Objectification of Women

Saw this cartoon on Pinterest and thought it was interesting.  Got a laugh out of it but at the same time I actually found it fairly thought provoking.  How we view women's rights and objectification is actually fairly dependent on culture.  The woman on the right might believe that she is shielding her body from men so they notice other, non-physical, things about her.  The woman on the left may believe that she is exercising her right to present her body how she sees fit.  Both think the other is giving into the male dominated culture.  But isn't the point?  They are complaining about a male dominated culture, which they recognize they are both living in.  Sure, it looks different but yet it is very much the same.

To me, the important thing in all of this is the women be doing this out of free choice.  Problem is, the way society is currently set up I don't think this is entirely possible.  Does the woman in the full body covering have a choice in if she wears that?  Is she threatened or sanctioned if she were to choose something else?  Similarly, is the woman in the bikini wearing that because that is what she wants to wear?  Is she doing because she feels it is the only way to be attractive to men?  It is tough to make these calls when we live in a society, along with other societies, that objectify women.

Ideally, a woman be able to wear what she wants without fear of being assaulted, demeaned or stifled in her day to day life.  Objectification is what makes all of this so complicated.  It's related to rape culture and the purity movement.  In either situation a woman can be reduced to a body.  In one case she could be reduced to a "loose woman" who is "asking for it."  In another case the woman could be again reduced to her body because she must cover in order to keep men from being led astray if she were to show some skin.

In both possible scenarios the woman is the one who is responsible for how men react.  They are reduced to bodies that must controlled in just the right way so men are kept in check.  Really, in both cases women would be the ones responsible if a man raped them.  Men are never responsible for how they react in either situation.  Of course, this is horribly messed up and shows how messed up things are.

I see this all the time in conservative religious circles when it comes to doctrines such as modesty.  You are supposed to cover all those alluring parts of yourself.  I can remember once at a church function getting told I had to change my shirt because my shoulders were showing another time I can remember being told I couldn't wear a certain bathing suit because it exposed my mid section.  Of course, I complied but I always felt so weird about it.  I wondered why men couldn't handle being exposed to a shoulder, for crying out loud.  It was because I would incite them to lust.  They couldn't choose how to respond?  Now, I do dress fairly conservatively.  I always have but I do now wear things that would not be considered appropriate by Baptist standards.

It's amazing how the more I turn a critical eye to society and gender all this stuff is tied together.  Women cause men to lust, rape them and objectify them.  NO!  Men choose these actions.  Men choose to view women as just a body.  To make assumptions off of the way they are dressed.  Are they a "nice" girl or they a "bad" girl?  They will be treated accordingly.  I believe that men have control over that.  I believe that a man chooses to be a rapist.  They choose to objectify women.  They choose to respect women.  They are NOT slaves to biology, just as women are not.  To be clear, I am not trying to put the blame on individual men entirely but rather to a societal system where women are assessed for "goodness" or "badness" by their clothing choices.

 I wish women had a choice.  I wish women were treated as human beings worthy of respect, no matter what they are wearing.  I wish women were not viewed as bringing on rape.  I would hope that women on both sides of this picture were able to make a choice, free of coercion, about how they are present themselves.  No woman is the sum of her body.

GOP "War on Women"

I am sure everyone has heard about the "war on women."  The one where a lot of women on the left claim that republicans want to take away their birth control and force them to give birth to tons of children.  Obama wanted to make it required for all employers to provide coverage for birth control.  This included religious organization, many of which were opposed to covering birth control as per their beliefs.  Thankfully, Obama backed down and allowed them to be excluded.  I don't blame Catholics for being angry, I would be angry too if I had to pay for something I found to be morally objectionable.

Now, for those on the left, mainly feminists, birth control is viewed as a right.  They often use this to appeal to pro lifers, by saying that if conservatives would help make birth control more available then the abortion rate would go down.  Nice thought, but I am looking at the wider picture here.  Nobody has a right to have sex.  Sure, do things happen?  Yes, they do but that does not excuse us.  People make bad choices and end up getting pregnant when they had no intentions of that happening.  Truth is when opposite sex people have sex there is always a chance of pregnancy, always.  It doesn't matter if the people use two types of birth control at the same time.  The possibility remains.

Really this all boils down to the issue of personal responsibility.  If someone is insistent that they are going to engage in an activity that could lead to pregnancy when they do not want that outcome then they must take steps to reduce this risk, while recognizing that this is still a possibility.  Hey, liberals are always begging that we stay out of their bedroom so I figure I shouldn't get too involved by paying for their birth control, and forcing employers to pay for their birth control.

As a side note, I see no problem with insurance companies covering birth control for medical reasons, but if someone just wants to prevent pregnancy then I say pony up the money or well everyone knows the other suggestion...

Feminism: A Criticism

Yeah, I am gonna go there.  Just so people don't get upset, I do actually understand the meaning of that word.  I understand that feminism is supposed to be about equal rights for women, but does it benefit women as much as it purports to?  As a whole, I think that the modern feminist movement is focused on left wing/socialist causes.  I hear all the time about how the right is "anti woman."

I think that women should be educated and even have job skills.  I mean I go to school and will have a full time job once I get out.  This is not the issue.  I also understand that some women must work full time for various other reasons that cannot be easily solved.  What I am saying though is that there are women that leave their families all day, especially young children.  My personal opinion is that young children should be cared for by their own mothers, if possible.  Of course, there will always be exceptions but that is the general point.  You will never have back the time with your children no matter how much you provided for them in terms of material things.  And for the record, I don't believe that women should be chained to their houses, and it wouldn't hurt men to help out with housework.

Then there is the issue of abortion.  Being pro-life I have heard all the arguments in favor of abortion.  This does not change the fact that I find it morally reprehensible.  Go ahead and call me "anti woman,"  but I value life that is not able to defend itself.  I think that as a Christian this is a fine example of protecting the most vulnerable.  And yes, I believe in helping the children after they are born, not necessarily in the big government sense that liberals often mention but helping is important.

My final point about feminism is about how they seem to embrace a sexually promiscuous lifestyle as a positive.  They want women to feel free to not have sex or have a lot of sex without shame.  The Bible is clear that the only time sex is permissible is after marriage with that one person.  Of course, I think that the world would be better off if everyone followed this, but this is not realistic.  Feminists support comprehensive sex ed and birth control but obviously this has not solved the problem.  I think what we need is a cultural change not more birth control.  If people viewed sex as a serious thing that needs great consideration then things could turn around.  People, especially young people, deserve better than having birth control thrown at them like they are animals that cannot control their urges.  Anyway, I could go on with this all day.

Well, those are just a few things that I think about modern feminism.  Yes, I realize that feminists are credited with giving me the right to vote, go to college and work but this does not change the fact that I cannot agree with modern feminism in either its social or political goals.

Anybody like to add anything?